Labour Party leader Ed Miliband says he is “so proud” his party will demonstrate its progressive values by fielding a transgender candidate in the 2015 General Election.

The party has selected
Emily Brothers, who recently revealed her transgender identity in
Pink News magazine, to contest the Sutton and Cheam seat in South
London, currently held by Liberal Democrat Paul Burstow.

Brothers, who also lost her sight to glaucoma when she was a
child, is an avid campaigner for disability rights.

Miliband called Brothers, believed to be the first openly
transgender candidate to stand for the Labour Party, a
“courageous campaigner” and “an important voice in
our movement.”

Speaking to Pink News about her transgender past, Brothers
acknowledged she wanted to gain the trust of her potential
constituents.

“In an ideal world I wouldn’t be speaking out about my past
because it’s very private; however, I recognize that as a
politician the key thing is trust.”

“We have a situation in Britain where politicians have been
losing trust with people, and if I’m not honest about my life
experience people may be critical of me being secretive,”
she said, adding that she wanted to be a “positive role
model.”

According to her website, Brothers is an avid campaigner for
rights and independence. She is a former president of the
National Federation of the Blind, something which, she says,
inspired her to become a politician.

“Because of my disability I have always been a user of NHS
services and so I’m particularly interested in the NHS.”

She said her experiences in hospital, after operations as a
child, shaped her view of the public health system.

“That experience taught me a lot about the value and the
importance of the NHS, particularly what front line staff do and
how valuable it is. Without it I would have suffered more
significantly,” she added.

Brothers has an extensive history of campaigning for rights,
including efforts to incorporate blind people in the Disability
Living Allowance in the 1980s. During the 1990s she worked
constantly on behalf of disabled people and their civil rights.

Speaking about the similarities between issues faced by disabled
people and members of the transgender community, she said one of
the main problems was hate crime.

“Of course there are disabled people who experience hate
crime, particularly people with learning disabilities, and there
are many people with a transgender experience who experience hate
crime, bullying and harassment,” she said.

Brothers said she didn’t want her transgender past to become a
prevalent source of debate throughout her political career, and
praised her “very supportive” ex-wife and children who
helped with her transition.

“I don’t want it to define my future, but I want it to be
something which is part of my identity. I need to be honest about
my background and embrace it.”